


Even in Death I Will Never Leave You

by spitshineboi



Category: Antiope/ Menalippe
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-07 03:16:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15209699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spitshineboi/pseuds/spitshineboi





	Even in Death I Will Never Leave You

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!" she screamed as she ran to her wife. Her dead wife. "No Antiope, please no! Don't leave me! Please don't leave me!" But she was gone. By all the Gods, she was gone.

Later that evening, once rigor had left, she washed her wife, no, her wife's body, in the ocean while a group of priestesses sang death dirges. Antiope wasn't the only one who was being washed. All those Amazons' who had died today were being washed by loved ones also. Menalippe was being helped by Hippolyta and Phillipus but, as far as she was concerned, she was alone. They had each other. She had no one. True, they had lost a daughter, but that daughter was still alive. How could they truly know how she felt? She HAD no one else. She WAS alone. Completely and totally alone.

Later she sat weaving the garland for her wife to wear… hyssop. It was currently in early flower so she was using fresh herb. This made her feel better. She was doing something to prepare her, something to help her on her way. But the garland had more than hyssop in it. She weaved flowers, being sure that violets were there. She weaved green wheat too. It smelled wonderful. Like she remembered her wife smelling.

She then went to the bier her wife was laid on and started to anoint her with sweet smelling olive oil imbued with the minty smell of hyssop. It had been blessed by the priestesses so it was sacred oil. She spent her time anointing Antiope's body, rubbing the oil into her skin with small circular movements praying and talking to her wife as she did so. "You loved when I rubbed oil into you this way my heart, slow and steady. It's the least I can do for you now." She then dressed her wife in her wedding chiton, beautifully wrought white linen with golden embroidery in the shapes of bulls sacred to Hera, the cornucopias of Demeter and Kore, the doves of Aphrodite, the owls of Athena, the stags of Artemis and all the others, held knee length by a golden girdle and with gold pins in the shoulders to keep it on her. Over this she placed the Tyran purple himation from their wedding day also.

Then she dressed her wife's hair, brushing its waist length strands a hundred times and finally braiding it the way she always did. Intricate but ready to hold her diadem, a diadem that wasn't here anymore, having gone with Diana. But the cheek pieces were still here so she had asked Io to attach them to a simple golden circlet so that it would still fit correctly. Io had done more than that, rapidly designing and hammering a shape that looked similar but was completely different. Instead of the star of the old this held the full moon of Artemis and owls of Athena. It was beautiful. Io had refused payment saying it was the least she could do for Antiope. She must have worked all night to get it ready. Over it, she placed the garland. But then she removed the garland. She would place that on her pall at chest height. 

Once finished she placed a gold coin in her mouth. "For Charon my love. You will not sit by the Acheron this time." She also placed four simple small silver oboli in her mouth. "For your children my heart. Take them across with you." Menalippe knew about her wife's four children. It was important to her to help reunite them. She then placed a small agate in one of her wife's hands saying, "For Agathe." And a simple silver charm in the shape of a violet in the other. "And this is for Iole." Finally, around her neck, she placed a necklace made with beautiful golden beads. It was a present Antiope had given her. "From me my love. It reminds me of you. You will always be my golden goddess."

She then took up a small gold tablet, about three inches by five inches, from the small table next to her. It held instructions for navigating the afterlife and had words addressing both Hades and Persephone; a totenpass as it was often called. She placed it on her wife's lips after kissing them. "It'll be safe here while I finish" 

Menalippe then reached over and got her wife's pall. It was beautiful. Made of Tyran purple silk and embroidered in gold, silver, and bronze; it was exquisite. The designs were all the symbols of the goddesses, as was Antiope's chiton, but also of flowers and weapons and trees and animals. There was a huge labrys in the center. It had originally been a wedding present for them and it used to hang from the wall above their bed. She would miss it but it belonged with Antiope now. She would see it again later, after she, herself, died. She was sure of it. She laid it carefully over Antiope's body and raised it up to her chin. It covered her completely and hung to the ground on both her sides and at her feet. Over it she did place the garland at chest height then, after pulling it from her wife's lips, she placed the totenpass with all the instructions just under her wife's chin. 

Menalippe then got up and walked over to the other side of the room and changed into a long black chiton with a black himation wrapped over her shoulders and head. She put a silver girdle around her waist and sighed. She was ready for the próthesis now. It made her very sad. She walked to the head of the bier and leaned over and kissed her wife once again. "Soon my love, soon," she murmured. She stood facing her wife thinking about their life together, tears slowly seeping from her eyes, crying softly. Soon enough Hippolyta and Phillipus came in and stood on either side of her. Neither wore black but dark somber brown silk. Hippolyta looked fetching as usual, Phillipus looked like her wife dressed her, which she did. A musician, Polydora, came in and stood behind Menalippe with her barbiton waiting for the room to fill. Once it did she struck a simple note and started to recite Sappho, Antiope's favorite 

What shall we do, Cytherea?  
Lovely Adonis is dying.  
Ah, but we mourn him!  
Will he return when the Autumn  
Purples the earth, and the sunlight  
Sleeps in the vineyard?  
Will he return when the Winter  
Huddles the sheep, and Orion  
Goes to his hunting?  
Ah, but thy beauty, Adonis,  
With the soft spring and the south wind,  
Love and desire!  
~ Sappho

Menalippe took a great gulp of air to try to keep from crying but it didn't work. This piece was one of Antiope's favorites. The tears freely flowed down her face and, at its ending, she put her head back and ululated her grief. Then Menalippe cried out her grief in a lamentation, beating her breast as she wailed, "Woe is me, O Antiope, woe, indeed, that to share a common lot we were born at the Thermodon at different times, you second of all and I born under your gaze later in time, never a child, never young and unknowing, yet so much younger that my memories of the time are completely different than yours. I am an ill-starred daughter of the ill-stared sire Thermodon - would that I had never been born of this river, this mud. You are now going into the house of Hades under the secret places of the earth, and you leave me a sorrowing widow in your house. Now that you are gone, O Antiope, you can do nothing for me nor me for you." 

Then she, as the high priestess of Hermes started the first dirge for her wife exalting her loving nature and exquisite features.

Direct my way in your sight, O Lord Hermes, my God  
I speak of dear Antiope strongest of our kind,  
Best of our nation.  
You take her through to her rightful place  
In the great fields of Elysium where she shall meet  
Others of our kind.  
Over which she shall rule as the best and brightest  
Over which she shall be remembered as most kind  
Over which she shall be known as the most valorous  
Of us all.

Oh, Hermes my God  
Antiope is surrounded by Hera, basileia of the Gods  
in her flowing robes wearing her polos  
With bull skull and peacock feathers upon it.  
Teléia Great Goddess of Marriage

Oh, Hermes my God  
Antoipe is surrounded by Athena, great goddess regally helmed  
Carrying her spear of righteousness, arm entwined by a serpent  
Knowledgeable above all others  
Medusa as her aegis

Oh, Hermes my God  
Antiope is surrounded by Cytherea, Aphrodite, sweet goddess of love  
With Peitho at her side, seduction to Aphrodite's sexuality,  
Loving companions for life,  
Never to part.

Oh, Hermes my God  
Antiope is surrounded by Artemis, goddess of the hunt,  
Maidenhood, the moon, and youth,  
Full of strength and wisdom  
Who shows us our future.

Oh, Hermes my God  
Antiope is surrounded by Kore, goddess of rebirth  
Sweet Persephone who causes flowers to bloom  
Who causes grain to grow  
Who shows us rebirth

Oh, Hermes my God  
Antiope is surrounded by Demeter, great goddess of harvest  
In her guise of Aganippe, the mare who destroys mercifully  
Who took our Antiope quickly and with great mercy  
To the land of Hades

Menalippe broke down again and cried for a moment then ululated her grief once again. She tore at her hair and clothing, ripping one and tearing out the other. She was stricken so hard that her ululation faded out with grief. Hippolyta took over and sang of her sister for a while until Menalippe could do so again. Once her ability returned, Menalippe sang her love's life beautifully for hours, eventually stopping when no one but herself, Hippolyta, and Phillipus remained. Then she dropped to her knees and cried herself to sleep at the head of her love's bier. 

An hour or so later Hippolyta woke her up. "It is time Menalippe," she said. Menalippe stood, silently feeling the aches and pains on her body. Some from sleeping on her knees but most from beating herself about the breasts in mourning. She could only imagine the bruises. She took some time to wash her face and prepare herself for the ekphora, changing into another black linen chiton with matching himation. No one saw her change into her wedding chiton that she wore underneath the large flowing black chiton and himation. Only she knew of it.

It was before dawn on the third day and time for the ekphora. The procession formed to carry Antiope and the other dead to their resting place. Several Amazons had spent the last two days digging a huge pit and building a chamber tomb within. Once the sides were dug and the interior walls were placed they started to curve the bricks into to the top where they placed a single capstone upon which a large marble horse had been carved. The carvers also carved stelae for each of the dead according to their loved-ones wishes. Antiope's had her upon horseback with Menalippe standing next to her looking up to her. It was gorgeous and painted lifelike. These were placed in a circle around the chamber tomb facing outwards.

The Ekphora started out before dawn with aulis players leading the procession playing mournful tunes. They were followed by Menalippe then Hippolyta and Phillipus marching together then Antiope's bier being carried by Artemis and Penthesilea aided by two other soldiers who would probably be climbing up to ypolochagoi very soon, Adea, who was Orana's second and Chrysis who was an excellent grappler and Artemis' second. Menalippe expected either Artemis or Phillipus would become the new lochagos. She was now the new strategos. The title made her skin crawl. This was not her position in life. Someone else needed that title, not her. Was it time she left the military? Was it time she left? She ululated her grief as she walked and, by the time they finally reached the chamber tomb it was just noon.

Menalippe stood on the outside of the tomb with the other chief mourners and, as she chanted a specific dirge to Hermes they each cut a large lock of their hair and placed them in a large krater on a table turned altar. 

Menalippe took a deep breath and began.  
"O my head, my temples, my side! How I long to turn over,  
and lie now on this, now on that, to rest my back and spine,  
while ceaselessly my tearful wail ascends.  
For even this is music to the wretched, to chant their cheerless dirge of sorrow.  
Come, waken the same lament, take up the enjoyment of long weeping  
What sweet relief to sufferers it is to weep, to  
mourn, lament, and chant the dirge that  
tells of grief!  
Let me call on you,  
beneath leafy haunts,  
sitting in your place of song,  
you, the most sweetly singing bird, tearful nightingale, oh, come, trilling through your tawny throat, to aid me in my lament." 

While this was being sung the choai, a libation of honey, milk, water, wine, perfumes, and oils all mixed in varying amounts is poured into the krater. The bodies are then all taken into their places inside the tomb with enough room around them for the rest of the sacrifices. First came the choai then the enagismata, or offerings to the dead which included milk, honey, wine, celery, pelanon (a mixture of meal, honey, and oil) and, finally, kollyba, the first fruits of the crops and dried fresh fruits, were spread about each body as well as grave goods and remembrances.

Menalippe brought two saddles, complete with shields and weaponry into the tomb and placed them on either side of her love's head. She then had a young yellow cat brought in. This was Antiope's favorite. She had named him Pegasus. Menalippe took a deep breath and broke the neck of the cat. "Pegasus will be with you always my love," she said as she placed the cat under Antiope's right arm. She then laid Antiope's bow and a quiver full of two dozen new beautiful arrows at the left side. Finally, on Antiope's right side Menalippe left her two favorite dories, or spears. An odd choice but no one said anything.

Then two horses were led into the tomb. Antiope's white mare and Menalippe's tan mare (her white stallion died on the beach). The animals stand, their fore-feet loosely tied together with a long rope. Menalippe has two rawhide lassoes with her. She ties both onto her girdle. She reaches down and grabs the rope attached to Antiope's mare and pulls vigorously. The horse falls down and is screaming in either pain or fear. Menalippe takes one of the lassoes and throws a noose around the animal's neck and starts to rapidly twist it by using a stick. Menalippe prays "Oh, Hermes my God, Antiope is now surrounded by her horse. Make sure that she gets it. It is her gentle mare Hipponike, her Victory Steed, and she shall want her by her side." By the time this short prayer is said the horse has died, strangled.

Then Menalippe turns to her horse, reaches down and pulls the rope so that the horse falls as Hipponike did. She is also strangled in the same manner while Menalippe prays very quietly "Oh, Hermes, my God, I shall now be surrounded by my horse, young Palla, my jumping beauty, and I shall want her by my side." And, like the other horse, this one is also strangled to death.

Hippolyta comes down to Menalippe and hugs her. "Only the perideipnon, or feast is left then you can go home," she says.

"Yes," Menalippe replies. "I will be out in a few minutes. I wish to say my last goodbyes."

"Of course," Hippolyta answers and then walks out.

Menalippe waits until she is the only living person in the tomb. She goes and kneels next to her wife, leans down, and kisses her gently. "I'll be with you shortly my love," she whispers to Antiope. She removes her black chiton until she is dressed in her wedding chiton, puts a gold obolus in her mouth and pulls out a knife. She takes a deep breath and cuts her own throat falling next to her wife, and finally reaches for and holds Antiope's hand as the world blackens around her and she dies.

______________  
1 excerpts from Euripides Trojan Women


End file.
